Families of passengers on ferry Sewol, which sank off South Korea, demand answers as search for survivors continues

PASSENGERS aboard a South Korean ferry which capsized sent emotion-charged texts to their loved ones as it sank.

As rescuers continue the search for almost 287 people still missing today, a number of those messages have been reported, showing the desperation amongst the 475 crew and passengers — many of them students on a school trip — as the Sewol foundered in open water.

“Dad, I can’t walk out. The corridor is full of kids, and it’s too tilted,” one 18-year-old student messaged her father, according to ABC America.

The Korean news agency NEWSIS contained a slew of other text messages from passengers — from declarations of love to the simple report: “I am alive”.

“Mom, I might not be able to tell you in person. I love you,” one student texted, according to a Korean report cited by ABC.

“Me too, son. I love you,” the mother replied. It is believed the teenager was among those rescued.

Some like Park Yu-Shin, whose student daughter was among the missing, had been able to stay in contact with their loved ones until the last moment.

“She was telling me: ‘we’re putting on our life vests. They’re telling us to wait and stay put, so we’re waiting, Mom. I can see a helicopter’,” Park recalled, her voice breaking with emotion.

Unable to sleep, some spent the night on the quay of Jindo harbour, staring out to sea as if willing their children back to safety.

“My daughter is out there, somewhere out there in the cold sea,” said another anguished mother.

Meanwhile there is intensifying anger in South Korea over claims the initial response was bungled.

Furious shouts could be heard when Prime Minister Chung Hong-won visited a shelter where relatives of the missing passengers waited for news.

His security detail also had to shield him from a thrown bottle of water. The liquid missile’s impact was captured on camera (see picture above).

Some relatives yelled that the government should have sent more divers to search the wreckage.

The anger is building as text messages sent by passengers and reports from survivors point to a period of confusion and mismanagement which may have ended up costing lives.

Of the 475 people aboard, 287 are still missing — many of them high school students on a class trip. Nine were confirmed dead and 55 were injured.

Many expect that number will rise sharply because the missing have now spent more than a day either trapped in the ferry or in the cold seawater.

Time is ticking ... South Korean Coast Guard and rescue teams search for missing passengeSource:Getty Images

FRANTIC SEARCH HAMPERED BY BAD WEATHER

Naval and coastguard vessels used floodlights and flares to keep the search operation going through the night, but strong currents and low visibility hampered diving teams’ efforts to access the vessel in the hope of finding survivors trapped in air pockets.

Only two out of 500 divers are now doing rescue effort because of the bad weather.

“Honestly, I think the chances of finding anyone alive are close to zero,” a coastguard official told an AFP journalist on one of the boats at the capsize site.

Two salvage cranes are on their way to the scene to try to raise the capsized vessel, government minister Kang Byung-kyu has said. However, the first is not due to arrive until Friday morning.

US warship the USS Bonhomme Richard is on standby in the area. Commanding officer Capt Joey Tynch told the BBC that poor visibility was hampering the rescue effort. “We found ourselves in challenging weather conditions today,” he said. “Very low cloud ceilings and reduced visibility and rain and we’re working a search area around the site in close co-ordination with the South Korean on-scene commander.”

South Korean coast guard officers look at the keel of the Sewol ferry. Picture: Hyung MinSource:AP

INVESTIGATION INTO FERRY SINKING UNDER WAY

It has been asserted by survivors that as the doomed ferry filled with water and listed severely on its side, the crew told passengers to wait for rescuers.

It was still unknown why the ferry sank, and the coast guard was interviewing the captain and crew.

Distressing mobile phone footage taken by one survivor emerged Thursday, showing the panic on board with one woman desperately screaming “The water’s coming, the water’s coming.”

The Sewol, a 146-meter vessel that can hold more than 900 people, set sail on Tuesday from Incheon, in north-western South Korea, on an overnight, 14-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju.

About 9am on Wednesday, when it was three hours from Jeju, the ferry sent a distress call after it began listing to one side, according to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration.

Waiting for news ... South Korean relatives of passengers on board a capsized ferry at aSource:AFP

Passenger Kim Seong-mok told broadcaster YTN that after having breakfast, he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into something.

He said an announcement told passengers to not move from their places and that he never heard another about evacuating.

He said he was certain that many people were trapped inside the ferry as water rushed in and the severe tilt of the vessel kept them from reaching the exits.

photo galleryKorean ferry tragedy

This undated photo shows the South Korean passenger ship Sewol. A government office said Wednesday, April 16, 2014 the South Korean passenger ship carrying about 470 people have sent a distress call off the southern coast after it began tittering to one side. Picture; AP1 of 19

In this handout image provided by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard, a passenger ferry sinks off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. The ferry identified as the Sewol was carrying about 470 passengers, including students and teachers, traveling to Jeju island. Picture: Getty2 of 19

South Korea coast guard police officers work to rescue passengers from a South Korean passenger ship, at Mokpo, south of Seoul. Picture: AP3 of 19

People watch a TV news program showing a sinking passenger ship, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. Picture: AP4 of 19

This photo taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 16, 2014 shows South Korea Coast Guard members rescuing some of the 477 passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry capsizing on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP5 of 19

In this handout image provided by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard, passengers are rescued by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard from a ferry sinking off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014. Picture: Getty6 of 19

Passengers are rescued by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard from a ferry sinking off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. The ferry identified as the Sewol was carrying about 470 passengers, including students and teachers, traveling to Jeju island. Picture: Getty7 of 19

This image shows a helicopter rescuing some of the 476 passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry sinking on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. South Korean coastguard vessels and helicopters pulled passengers off a stricken ferry as it sank on April 16 off the southern coast. Picture: AFP8 of 19

A rescued passenger from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, is carried by police and rescue teams on his arrival at Jindo port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Picture: AP9 of 19

This photo taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 16, 2014 shows South Korea Coast Guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry after it sank on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AP10 of 19

A mother weeps as she and others search for their children's names among a list of survivors rescued from a ferry that sank off the country's southern coast, at Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Picture: AP11 of 19

This photo shows rescued passengers, wrapped in blankets, being brought onto land in Jindo after a South Korean ferry carrying 477 passengers and crew capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP12 of 19

South Korea Coast Guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry after it capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP13 of 19

South Korean relatives wait for missing people at a harbor in Jindo on April 16, 2014 as South Korean rescue teams, including elite navy SEAL divers, raced to find up to 293 people missing from a capsized ferry carrying 459 passengers and crew -- mostly high school students bound for a holiday island. Picture: AFP14 of 19

Relatives check the survivor lists as they wait for missing passengers of a sunken ferry at Jindo port on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Picture: Getty15 of 19

Relatives of missing people wait at a Jindo port on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Picture: Getty16 of 19

Relatives wait for news at a harbour in Jindo early on April 17, 2014. South Korean rescue teams, including elite navy SEAL divers, raced to find up to 293 people missing from a capsized ferry carrying 459 passengers and crew -- mostly high school students bound for a holiday island. Picture: AFP17 of 19

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim from a sunken ferry, at a hospital in Mokpo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Picture: AP18 of 19

This handout photo by the South Korea Coast Guard taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 17, 2014 shows coast guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry that capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AP19 of 19

This undated photo shows the South Korean passenger ship Sewol. A government office said Wednesday, April 16, 2014 the South Korean passenger ship carrying about 470 people have sent a distress call off the southern coast after it began tittering to one side. Picture; AP

In this handout image provided by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard, a passenger ferry sinks off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. The ferry identified as the Sewol was carrying about 470 passengers, including students and teachers, traveling to Jeju island. Picture: Getty

South Korea coast guard police officers work to rescue passengers from a South Korean passenger ship, at Mokpo, south of Seoul. Picture: AP

People watch a TV news program showing a sinking passenger ship, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. Picture: AP

This photo taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 16, 2014 shows South Korea Coast Guard members rescuing some of the 477 passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry capsizing on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP

In this handout image provided by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard, passengers are rescued by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard from a ferry sinking off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014. Picture: Getty

Passengers are rescued by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard from a ferry sinking off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. The ferry identified as the Sewol was carrying about 470 passengers, including students and teachers, traveling to Jeju island. Picture: Getty

This image shows a helicopter rescuing some of the 476 passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry sinking on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. South Korean coastguard vessels and helicopters pulled passengers off a stricken ferry as it sank on April 16 off the southern coast. Picture: AFP

A rescued passenger from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, is carried by police and rescue teams on his arrival at Jindo port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Picture: AP

This photo taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 16, 2014 shows South Korea Coast Guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry after it sank on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AP

A mother weeps as she and others search for their children's names among a list of survivors rescued from a ferry that sank off the country's southern coast, at Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Picture: AP

This photo shows rescued passengers, wrapped in blankets, being brought onto land in Jindo after a South Korean ferry carrying 477 passengers and crew capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP

South Korea Coast Guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry after it capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AFP

South Korean relatives wait for missing people at a harbor in Jindo on April 16, 2014 as South Korean rescue teams, including elite navy SEAL divers, raced to find up to 293 people missing from a capsized ferry carrying 459 passengers and crew -- mostly high school students bound for a holiday island. Picture: AFP

Relatives check the survivor lists as they wait for missing passengers of a sunken ferry at Jindo port on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Picture: Getty

Relatives of missing people wait at a Jindo port on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Picture: Getty

Relatives wait for news at a harbour in Jindo early on April 17, 2014. South Korean rescue teams, including elite navy SEAL divers, raced to find up to 293 people missing from a capsized ferry carrying 459 passengers and crew -- mostly high school students bound for a holiday island. Picture: AFP

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim from a sunken ferry, at a hospital in Mokpo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Picture: AP

This handout photo by the South Korea Coast Guard taken at sea some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 17, 2014 shows coast guard members searching for passengers near a South Korean ferry that capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon. Picture: AP

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Koo Bon-hee, 36, also complained about the crew’s efforts during the initial stages of the disaster, saying early misjudgements may account for the large number of missing.

In addition to the order not to evacuate immediately, Koo said many people were trapped inside by windows that were too hard to break.

“The rescue wasn’t done well. We were wearing life jackets. We had time,” Koo, who was on a business trip to Jeju with a co-worker, said from a hospital bed in Mokpo, the nearest major city to the site of the accident, where he was treated for minor injuries.

“If people had jumped into the water ... they could have been rescued. But we were told not to go out.”

Hopes fading ... the Coast Guard work at the site of the ferry sinking accident. Picture:Source:Getty Images

Oh-Yong-seok, a 58-year-old crew member who escaped with about a dozen others, including the captain, told The Associated Press that rescue efforts were hampered by the ferry’s severe tilt.

“We couldn’t even move one step. The slope was too big,” Oh said.

Student Lim Hyung-min told YTN that he and others jumped into the water wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat.

“As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another,” Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean “was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live.”

Focus of anger ... South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won is shielded by his bodyguarSource:AP

“We cannot give up,” said South Korean President Park Geun-hye, after a briefing in Seoul. “We have to do our best to rescue even one passenger.”

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. and its 7th Fleet stood ready to assist, including the USS Bonhomme Richard, which was in the region.

The last major ferry disaster in South Korea was in 1993, when 292 people were killed.

TV stations broadcast live pictures Wednesday of the listing Sewol as passengers clambered over the side, jumped into the sea or were hoisted up by helicopters. At least 87 vessels and 18 aircraft swarmed around the stricken ferry.

Looking for survivors ... a South Korean Coast Guard observes the site of the sunken ferrSource:Getty Images

The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius, cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 90 minutes, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity because department rules did not allow talking to the media.

Lee Gyeong-og, a vice minister for the Public Administration and Security Ministry, said the ocean was 37 meters deep in the area.

The survivors — wet, stunned and many without shoes — were brought to nearby Jindo Island, where medical teams wrapped them in pink blankets and checked for injuries before taking them to a cavernous gymnasium.

As the search dragged on, families of the missing gathered at a nearby dock, some crying and holding each other.

Many South Korean high schools organise trips for first- or second-year students, and Jeju is a popular destination. The students on the ferry were in their second year, which would make most of them 16 or 17.

At Danwon High School, students were sent home early and parents gathered for news about their children. Park Ji-hee, a first-year student, said she saw about a dozen parents crying at the school entrance.

There are faster ways to get to Jeju, but the ferry from Incheon is cheaper than flying.

The Sewol, which travels twice a week between Incheon and Jeju, was built in Japan in 1994 and could carry a maximum of 921 people, 180 vehicles and 152 shipping containers, according to the Yonhap news agency.